Arrangement for wrapping packages



Jan. 13, 1970 J. J. CULBERG ET 9,333

ARRANGEMENT FOR WRAPPING PACKAGES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 4, 1967 INVENTORS CULBEEG A. GALE AT 7' OR/VE Y Jan. 13, 1970 J. J, CULBERG ET'AL. 3,489,333

ARRANGEMENT FOR WRAPPING PACKAGES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 4, 1967 n 0 0 mm m w J. m m

/l. GALE BURTO/ United States Patent 3,489,333 ARRANGEMENT FOR WRAPPING PACKAGES Jack J. Culberg, Chicago, and Burton A. Gale, Skokie, Ill., assignors to CPS Industries, Inc.

Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 536,327,

Mar. 22, 1966. This application Dec. 4, 1967, Ser.

Int. Cl. B65d 65/42, /26

US. Cl. 229-87 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A pre-fabricated gift wrapping arrangement includes a folding box having mitered fold lines at the corners and a sheet of gift wrapping paper cemented thereto. When the folded box is opened, the gift wrapping paper may be folded over the ends and cemented in placed by pressing on pre-applied pressure sensitive cement.

This application is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 536,327, filed Mar. 22, 1966, now Patent No. 3,366,313.

This invention relates to container packaging and more particularly, although in its broader aspects not exclusively, to a novel arrangement for gift wrapping a package.

Gift wrapping is viewed as a time consuming chore by both the merchant and the shopper. To the merchant who must wrap hundreds of packages as a service to his customers, gift wrapping constitutes a significant expense, primarily in the form of lost time to his sales force. For the shopper who must wait while her packages-0r someone elsesare being wrapped, the conventional gift wrapping process is annoying and expensive as well as time consuming.

It is accordingly a principal object of the present invention to provide a scheme for wrapping packages and the like more swiftly.

Packages are normally wrapped using a number of separate steps and a variety of wrapping materials. The paper must normally be cut to size before being folded around the box. After the paper has been folded tightly around the box, the wrapper must hold the paper firmly in place while applying transparent adhesive tape or the like across the overlaping edges of the paper to secure the wrapping. This tape is visible on the outside surface of the wrapped package and detracts somewhat from its appearance. Decorative ribbons or bows may then be tied to the package to complete the wrapping process. The appearance of the finished package depends largely upon the skill of the wrapper and the care taken during wrapping.

It is accordingly a further object of the invention to provide means for simply, rapidly, and securely wrapping a package to produce a finished wrapping having an improved appearance.

In a principal aspect, the present invention takes the form of a single unitary wrap for a package which includes adhesive means for securing the wrap around the package. An adhesive coating is applied to the border of at least a portion of each of three edges of the wrapping sheet and a backing sheet is employed for covering each of the adhesive coatings. The adhesive coating, which may be pressure sensitive, is characterized by its ability to adhere more strongly to the wrapping sheet than to the backing sheet to allow the backing to be easily removed from the coating which then securely seals the wrapping. According to a further aspect of the invention decorative ribbons or bows may be preapplied to the outside face of the wrapping sheet. The resulting unitary arrangement permits rapid, secure and attractive wrapping of packages.

3,489,333 Patented Jan. 13, 1970 These and other features, objects, and advantages of the present invention may be more clearly understood through a consideration of the following detailed description. In this description, reference will frequently be made to the attached drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a rectangular sheet of wrapping paper showing the location of two of the three adhesive strips placed on the inner face of the paper with one edge folded over to show the location of a decorative ribbon applied to the outer face of the paper;

FIGURE 2 illustrates the finished tubular sheet of paper which is made from the rectangular sheet shown in FIGURE 1 and which embodies the principles of the invention;

FIGURE 3 illustrates the insertion of a package into the tubular sheet constructed in accordance with FIG- URES 1 and 2 of the drawings;

FIGURE 4 shows the package centrally positioned in the tubular wrapping sheet with the sheet drawn tightly;

FIGURE 5 illustrates the completion of the wrapping process using the tubular sheet shown in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 6 illustrates a second embodiment of the invention comprising a folded box adhering to a single rectangular sheet of wrapping material provided with adhesive strips along the borders thereof;

FIGURE 7 shows a second stage in the wrapping process wherein the box of FIGURE 6 is unfolded;

FIGURE 8 shows the folded box closing upon itself;

FIGURE 9 shows a box which is completely wrapped in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 10 shows a corner locking tab just after the box has started to unfold and before the tab has moved by any significant amount from its folded position; and

FIGURE 11 shows the same locking tab after the box has reached its open position.

FIGURE 1 of the drawings illustrates the construction of a first embodiment of the invention. FIGURE 1 shows a rectangular sheet of wrapping paper or the like having four edges at 8 through 11 and having an inside face 12 and an outside decorative face 14. An adhesive coating 15, preferably of a pressure sensitive type, is applied to the inside face 12 along a strip bordering edge 10. The coating adhesive 15 is covered by a backing sheet 17. The backing sheet 17 is preferably chemically treated such as by applying a silicone or wax release surface in order to prevent strong adhesion to the adhesive coating 15. A second adhesive similar to adhesive 15 and coating covered by backing sheet 19 is placed opposite to the coating 15 on the face 12 bordering edge 9. Both adhesive coatings covered by strips 17 and 19 are positioned to one side of a center line 20. A decorative ribbon 22 is affixed to the outside face 14 parallel to the longitudinal dimension of the rectangular wrapping sheet to provide additional strength to the wrapper.

As shown in FIGURE 2 of the drawings, the wrapping sheet is folded generally about the center line such that edges 8 and 11 are parallel with edge 11 extending beyond the edge 8. A suitable adhesive may be applied along the edge 8 prior to folding. The slight overlap of edge 11 prevents any portion of the undecorated inner face 12 from showing on the wrapped package. A third adhesive coating and a covering backing sheet 24 is applied in a central location over the overlapping portion of the inner surface 12 at edge 11 and the decorated outer surface 14 at edge 8 as shown in FIGURE 2. V

The completed unitary wrap forms a tubular sheath into which the package to be wrapped may be inserted as shown in FIGURE 3. The adhesive applied to the inner surface 12 along edge 8 extends to a point short of one end of the edge 8. The unglued end portion provides a flap 25 which facilitates entrance of the box into the sheet. If desired, the sheath shown in FIGURE 2 may be flattened to permit high density packing with the other sheets. In this case, the backing sheet 17 may include :a tab 31 which extends beyond the edge to facilitate opening the flattened end of the sheath. It may be noted that, in terms of flat area, the unitary wrapping arrangement is approximately one half as large as the original sheet from which it was formed. This feature allows the wrapping to be more conveniently stored prior to use.

As shown in FIGURE 4 of the drawing, the box is inserted to a central location within the sheath. The wrapping paper is then drawn tightly against the box such that the original center line of the rectangular sheet of paper is approximately adjacent to one edge of the box 30. The crease which results from flattening the sheath (slightly offset from the center line 20 due to the overlap of edge 11 beyond edge 8) may be positioned along the edge of the box such that it does not detract from the appearance of the finished wrapped container. This crease may therefore be used as a guide for positioning the box 30 within the sheath. The paper is drawn firmly against the contour of the box to form an outwardly extending flap 32. The width of the box (dimensions B and C shown in FIGURE 4) may vary widely yet the folded line 20 of the sheet will always lie along the upper rearward edge of the box 30 and the flap 32 will lay flat. This follows since A+B is always equal to C+D.

The backing sheet 24 is removed to uncover the adhesive coating along edges 8 and 11 and the flap 32 folded upward to seal the side of the wrap. As shown in FIG- URE 5, the extended end portions of the sheet may be folded to form an outwardly extending flap 36. The backing sheet 17 is then removed from the coating 15, and the flap folded upward and sealed to complete the wrapping of one end of the box. The extended edge 6 may be folded and sealed in a similar fashion to wrap the other end of the package.

It will be noted that the ribbon 22 which was preaffixed to the decorative outside face 14 of the wrapping sheet is properly aligned to match along the edge 11 forming an apparently continuous ribbon loop. If desired, a ready-made fiat bow or the like may be pre-affixed to the ribbon 22 or elsewhere on the outer face 14 of the sleeve to provide a more attractive appearance.

The first embodiment of FIGS. 1-5 offers a substantial savings of time, and therefore money, as compared with prior gift wrapping techniques involving the completely separate steps of boxing, wrapping, taping, tying, etc. However, it still entails a number of separate steps such as folding the paper, inserting a box, centering, creasing, etc. The second embodiment of FIGS. 6-9 eliminate many of these separate steps and the judgment process of deciding where to place the box inside the paper. While these eliminated steps are few and the judgment is mini mal, they nevertheless require time and result in a certain amount of spoilage.

This second embodiment entails a one piece folding box 50 having a sheet of gift wrapping paper 51 attached thereto. The mode of attachment between box and paper is not too important, however, we prefer to apply pressure sensitive adhesive to the paper and then to set the folded box on the paper over the adhesive and apply the pressure required to stick the paper to the box. The box is precreased along lines L1, L2 so that the assembly of box and paper may be folded along one of these lines for shipment or storage.

The exact form of the box 50 is not too relevant as long as it is easy to handle. One form of box suitable for use in the inventive device might be similar to the well known folding suit boxes with locking tabs at the corners. However, we prefer to use a box having mitered corners since it is easier and quicker to open the box simply by unfolding it. Thus, we have shown a box having an end panel 52 and a side panel 53 with a precreased miter fold 54 at the corner. All of the other corners are made to fold in a similar manner.

As shown in FIGURE 7, the folded box 50 may be opened and formed into a container by pulling the end panel 52 in the direction of arrow 56 while pulling the side panel 53 in the direction of the arrow 57. Finally, a little outward pressure applied to the inside of the box along the miter fold line 54 (and similar fold lines at other corners) will tend to lock the sides and ends in an open position.

After the bottom half of the box is open (FIG. 7), the top 58 of the box is pulled up in the direction of the arrow 59 (FIG. 8) while the box bends along the precreased fold line L1. This causes the box top 58 to close over the bottom while sides 6062 fold downwardly. For convenience of illustration only, the top 58 is here shown as having been cut at the corners 63 to 66 to facilitate the folding. It is also within the scope of the invention to make each of these corners either a locking tab or a more complex form of mitered folds.

Means are provided for eliminating the backing paper heretofore applied over the pressure sensitive adhesives. In greater detail, the paper 51 may be folded back upon itself, as shown at 68. The fold line at 68 may be made to coincide with an edge of the box. The inside, undecorated surface of the paper 51 is treated with an adhesive release surface at the location where it touches the outer edge E1 of the fold back 68. The outer edge E1 of the paper fold back 68 is at least partly covered by a pressure sensitive adhesive. This way, the undecorated and treated side of paper 51 serves as the backing paper for protecting the adhesive on edge E1 when the paper is folded back upon itself at 68.

As the box top 58 (FIG. 8) is pulled, in direction 59, upwardly and down over the bottom of the box, the edge E1 is pulled away to unfold the fold back 68. When the top '58 closes over the bottom of the box, the end flap 61 is pulled down, and the edge E1 is smoothed back over the edge E2. The pressure sensitive adhesive on the edge E1 is pressed down over edge E2, and the edges of the paper '51 are cemented together to form a tube.

Then, the fiap 62 is pushed down, and the paper 51 is creased and folded. A pre-applied pressure sensitive adhesive 70 may come into contact with the paper 51 or the applied pressure sensitive adhesive 71 so that the ends of the gift wrapping paper are cemented together, as at 72. The flap 60 on the other end of the box is pushed down and the paper is creased there in a similar manner to complete the wrapping.

FIGS. 10 and 11 are enlarged views of how a tab may be provided to strengthen the corner, to add rigidity, to enhance appearance, and to facilitate the unfolding and shaping of the box.

In greater detail, the tab is folded under, flat against the side '83 when the box is in the flattened position. The side 82 folds and creases along the pro-formed miter line 84 so that it tucks in under the tab 80. When the box unfolds, the sides 82 and 83 move upwardly to an upstanding position, as indicated by the arrows 85, 86. The tab 80 swings, in the direction of the arrow 87, since it is cemented at 88 to' a corner of side 82.

When the box is fully opened and the corner reaches the fully extended position (FIG. 11), the tab 80 has swung as far as possible in the direction of the arrow 87. The lower edge of the tab 80 bears down against the bottom of the box, thereby holding the sides 82, 83 in a more rigid, upright position. Each of the corners may be provided with similar tabs.

No effort has been made, in FIGS. 6-9, to show all of the backing papers which might be used to protect the pressure sensitive adhesives applied to the gift wrapping paper. However, it should 'be understood that the use of such backing paper is contemplated wherever it might be desirable to use it. Also, suitable tabs may be provided on the backing paper in order to facilitate its removal and thereby enable the wrapping paper 51 to be folded and creased while it is being shaped into its final form and position. Then the tab may be pulled so that the backing paper is peeled off to expose the adhesive.

Moreover, suitable decorative material, such as ribbons 90 or bows (not shown), may be glued to the gift wrapping paper during the manufacturing process. The alignment is such that the decorative ribbons, patterns, etc. match when the box is unfolded to its open configuration and the paper is in the final gift wrapped condition. The term matching pattern is used herein to describe an attractive junction of decorative patterns at the edges of the paper. It does not necessarily mean that the pattern must match in any preconceived manner. The point is that the end product will at least meet, and may exceed, commonly accepted standards for conventionally gift wrapped packages.

It is to be understood that the embodiments of the invention which have been described are merely illustrative of applications of the principles of the invention. Numerous modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. 1

We claim:

1. A unitary arrangement for gift wrapping boxes comprising a unitary folded box-like package having an initially flat appearance which can be opened to form a bottom, two side and two end surfaces, the corners of said box having a miter fold line and a tab tucked under a side of said box when it is folded, said tab swinging out to brace and support said corners when said box is in an open position, a sheet of gift wrapping paper which is larger than said folded box in both said initially flat condition and said opened form, said sheet being cemented to said box in at least one location, whereby said box and paper unfold as a unit, said sheet of paper having at least one side edge, a first adhesive coating on said sheet adjacent to said side edge for securing said sheet around'said box when in said opened form, said gift wrapping paper being initially folded back upon itself at one edge to protect said pressure sensitive adhesive coating, and said folded back edge extending beyond said box when unfolded for securing the gift wrapping paper around said box.

2. An arrangement as set forth in claim 1, and other adhesive coatings on the edges of said gift wrapping paper which are perpendicular to said folded back edge, and backing papers for initially covering said other adhesive coatings, said backing papers being treated to reduce the adhesion of said backing paper to said coatings whereby said backings may be easily removed from said coatings during wrapping.

3. The arrangement of claim 2 and decorative means pre-cemented to the side of the wrapping paper which is exposed to view when the package is completed.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,032,645 7/ 1912 Beers 229-32 2,052,977 9/ 1936 Hofmann 229-51 2,479,456 8/ 1949 Arthur.

2,990,098 6/ 1961 Kramer 229-32 3,061,087 10/ 1962 Scrivens et a1.

3,064,876 11/1962 Warner 229-87 X 3,311,289 3/ 1967 French 229-87 3,314,211 4/1967 Wolff 229-87 3,391,856 7/ 1968 Siegler 229-87 DAVIS T. MOORHEAD, Primary Examiner US. or. x, 39-1 2 

